My name is Paul Sturges, and I am honoured to have been elected president of the Ipswich, Suffolk & North Essex institute for 2012/2013. I’m not sure there could be a more exciting time at which to be given the privilege of this role, in fact; with the Chartered Insurance Institute marking its centenary this year, and our own Institute doing likewise in 2013, there really is a lot to celebrate! It’s my aim to make sure that we have the most vibrant, varied and professionally valuable line-up of activities possible during these twelve months, and I’ll be establishing a centenary committee to help make this happen.

 

I’m sure all members will join me in thanking our outgoing president, Glenn

Thornton, with whom I’ve had the pleasure of working closely over the past year, and whose guidance will be invaluable for me as I attempt to step into his immaculately polished shoes and move forwards. I would also like to express my gratitude to my fellow council members, for trusting me with this position; my employers, for allowing me the time to devote to local council matters; and indeed, my staff at Crawford, who are a constant and reliable source of support.

 

Most of all, however, I want to take this opportunity to remind all members that the Institute exists to serve your needs – professional, educational and, of course, social. The more we hear from you, the easier it will be for us to shape our programme in the way that best benefits everyone, so please do contact me at ipswichinstitute@cii.co.uk with your ideas, thoughts and suggestions. I’m keen to hear from as many of you as possible, and to maximise both attendance and enjoyment of Institute events of all kinds during my tenure.

 

Finally, I’ve chosen the Worldwide Fund for Nature (wwf.org.uk) as the nominated charity for my presidential year. I’ve supported this organisation for more than 30 years, and the issues of conservation and sustainability it addresses are, I think, even more important now than ever. I know you’ll add your energies where you can to the fundraising we’ll be organising, and I very much look forward to sharing this year of development, growth and, I hope, professional enrichment, with you all.